LIRR received 1899

Hospital Car

Coach #117 Destroyed
by fire 8/20/1910

LIRR #117 Hospital Car 1897

Capacity 24 horses; two stalls on each side of the three doors.

LIRR #132x Photo: R. Glueck

LIRR #1346 Photo: R. Glueck

134 cars  23 Cab controlled cars

LIRR #3101 RDC1 at Greenport 9/27/1959

LIRR #3121 RDC2 with Trailer 
at South Hampton 1956

They had clerestory roofs and came in 1930 to replace 50 P54D "pings" that were converted to MU control motors 1944 to 1983, later renumbered into the 4000 series.

Modernized 10/1958 and renumbered #7614 Scrapped 9/13/1972 by Naporano Iron and Metal Company, Newark NJ

Note the "Futura" lettering which was considered VERY modern for 1939-40.
Info: Jeff Erlitz

MPB54 means Motor/Passenger/Baggage car which is 54' long (known as a "combine car.")
T39, T54 means Trailer cars (no motors) which are 39' or 54' long and were placed in trains with a motor car (MP54) at either end.
MPBM54 means Motor/Passenger/Baggage/Mail cars which are 54' long.
MBM62 means Motor/Baggage/Mail cars which are 62' long, with no vestibules.
The suffixes on the same number cars (MP54a, MP54b, MP54c, etc.) meant various changes such as arched roofs vs. clerestory roofs, etc.)  Research: Dave Keller

Earlier MP54 and MP54A cars had their controls removed, but were not rebuilt (with ASC) and remained in service as mid-train motor trailer cars, since they also had weak collision posts, which was pointed out after the 1950 crashes.  Eight cars in the 1600 series of MP54A cars did, indeed, get ASC and finished their decades of service as control motor cars with ASC and were  occasionally seen at the headend of a train. (Control motors 1632, 1634, 1641, 1651, 1661, 1665, 1666) And, of course, there was CT54A #1677, club car "ROCKAWAY",  which remained a control trailer with ASC) but some of these cars, 1641, 1651 and 1661 had their ASC removed in later years. Research: Mike Boland
Note: MP54's, were about another 10 feet longer, 5 feet for each vestibule at both ends of the car, at 64' than the MP62 series. 

The seating capacity was for 69 passengers. These cars had a special safety feature which was a door interlocking device, or signal light, indicating to the motorman that the doors are closed.  Each car had train control and had roller bearing trucks.  Additional lights made for better lighting. These new cars and the conversion of 40 P54D steam cars to control motor MP54D1's allowed the railroad to run 12-car MU trains. 

Its easiest spotting sign are the lack of deck sash and only THREE utility vents along the side of the roof for ventilation. Also, the end door is more recessed, due to improved and thickened collision posts. The cars also had end drip strips above the storm door at the ends of each car.

The cars also had two different types of trucks and these were the only cars that arrived with the large, squared-off headlight and destination lights, which were removed later. Some cars had porthole-style side and end doors, while other cars had large, single-pane side and end doors; perhaps this is a clue as to the cars' original builder. Research: Mike Boland

LIRR #4855 MP54C Woodside 1969

About half of the fleet of MU cars received ASC, the remainder did not. This was a big savings of money; in fact, the LIRR was so broke that the PRR and New York State paid for the installation of ASC. This was a new class of car; as until this time, the railroad had only control motor cars and trailers, but after 1951 this all changed. Not until 1953 and 1955, did the railroad buy new motor trailer cars, specifically built as such by Pullman-Standard. 

Many control motor cars ran in trains and did not have ASC and thus used in mid-train service, even though they specifically were NOT converted to motor trailers. With the car rehabilitation program in 1955, these cars eventually had their controls removed and were renumbered and rebuilt into the 5000-series of cars.

What I like about the LIRR is that there were always exceptions and a number of cars in the 1700-series of arch motors never were converted, and had never been given ASC. They were considered motor trailers even though they were not converted, and in later years their class was changed to indicate they were a motor trailer even when they were not in the shops to have the conversion. A car like this was arch roof 1776, a great number for the Bicentennial. Research: Mike Boland

MP54T #1450  Port Washington view W 10/13/62

Part of the first MP54s on the LIRR, it was converted to a motor trailer with the same car number. Perhaps  the shops got lazy or forgot to removed the headlights.

Built in 1908 and was the last car of the class MP54. Car 1451and up were class MP54A; these had slight changes in seating, other modifications, and were a few  inches longer than the earlier MP54 class cars. 
Info: Mike Boland

MP54AT #1403 in Tichy scheme - Converted to a motor trailer  - West Hempstead  5/04/1952 (Votava-Boland)

#1350-1381
#1385-1399

#1379 MPB54 Tuscan red with Dulux 
gold lettering Pre-1950
#1372 MPB54 Tichy scheme 
Jamaica c.1955

MB62  at Clinton Rd. (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland)

MB62 #4205 (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland)

Look for the mail compartment on the two MBM62's, and that will tell you whether it's a MBM62 or a straight MB62. The MB62's have two windows between the doors and a small window at each end of the car. It's a different look for the MBM62's, a fascinating car and almost as unique as the second car in this consist, an MPBM54. 

The second car is a Motorized Passenger Baggage Mail MPBM5 car and both sides of the car are a little different in the baggage-mail area. Baggage-mail MU's were 1205-1219, although 1215 and up were used as diesel cars, with 1217-1219 running all their years as steam/diesel cars.

The third car is an regular combine, a passenger baggage car, class MPB54, one of the later ones built by ACF since
its baggage door cuts into the letterboard, unlike the earlier cars built by Standard Steel and scrapped in the 1950's. Many of these cars were modernized beginning with 4371 up to 4398, I believe. This combine might be carrying bagged mail or newspapers. Research: Mike Boland

MB62 #1215 REA at Babylon 2/08/1947 (Votava-Boland)

MU REA MB62 #4212 REA RPO Johnson Ave. yard, Jamaica 4/21/1962  (Will V. Faxon, Jr. - Dave Keller

MBM62 #4209 - Johnson Ave., Jamaica 1/15/1964  
(Henry Maywald-Mike Boland)

MBM62 #4210 (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland)

BG72B

Modernized 12/1955 and renumbered #7723. Withdrawn from service 1970.

MP41

LIRR - PULLMAN Promotional  Photo 80 ft., AC, 120 seat commuter car

Nos. 2901-2980 except
2949 & 2957

2990-2992, former 2905, 2970, 2957

7526, 7533-41, 7545-7549

7522-7525, 7527, 7530-31, 7540, 7542-44, 7550

2846-2898 Even Nos. only plus 2792, 2794, 2796

2702-2736
Even #’s only

836 cars purchased  7001-7836